The Constitution

The Basics

The law is the set of rules that we live by. The Constitution is the highest law. It belongs to the United States. It belongs to all Americans.

The Constitution says how the government works. It creates the Presidency. It creates the Congress. It creates the Supreme Court.

The Constitution lists some key rights. Rights are things that all people have just because they are alive. By listing the rights, they are made special. They are made safe. The Bill of Rights is a part of the Constitution. The Bill of Rights lists many rights of the people.

Important Historical Documents

History

The Constitution was written in 1787. Yes, it is over 200 years old. We actually have old copies of what was created. We have pictures of the Constitution on this site.

In 1787, a group of men met to write the Constitution. They did not like the way the country was going. They fixed it by creating the Constitution. We call these men The Framers.

Some of the framers are very famous. George Washington was a Framer. So was Ben Franklin.

The Framers met in Independence Hall during a hot summer in Philadelphia. They had a lot of arguments. In the end, they agreed to the words in the Constitution. They knew they had to agree. If they did not agree, the fighting would keep going.

After the Framers wrote the Constitution, they asked the states to approve it. It took some time, but all the states did approve it.

Some people did not like the Constitution. Some were afraid because it did not do enough to protect the rights of the people. It had no bill, or list, of rights.